A New Destiny
by emjwarriorcatz
Summary: Leaf-bare is over. Now is the time for new kits, and ThunderClan is glad to see the spike of felines among their ranks. Unfortunately, the peace can never last long, as two sisters struggle with their differences, and two brothers try to solve the mystery of who their father is. Sequel to When the Sun Goes Down, summary of series so far inside. Part Two of After the Fire series.
1. Allegiances and Prologue

**Well guys, here it is- the sequel to When the Sun Goes Down! At this point, it will be a different version post-TLH: after all, Bramblestar's Storm will contradict whatever anyone has written about the lake Clans after the Great Battle.**

**So I hope you like it: and please share it with your friends. I don't like starting fresh with a new story at 0 this, 0 that, 0 everything XD And check out my other stories on this profile and my other one, Bookreader525.**

**Here is the allegiances and prologue for you all!**

**I do not own _Warriors _or most of these characters.**

**Summary of the preceding book: Four sisters- Lilypaw, Seedpaw, Cinderheart, and Poppyfrost- each have difficulties of their own while the Clans as a whole all flee from the flooded lake to the mountains. While staying at the Tribe's cave, Lilypaw constantly feuds with her littermate, Seedpaw; Seedpaw struggles with her dark emotions and regrettable actions; Cinderheart tries to understand why Lionblaze betrayed her family; and Poppyfrost copes with her daughter's love interest, and then a major loss.  
**

**Note: this book, and the series, from now on will have a different POV than the four cats above. Feel free to read WTSGD before AND if you want!**

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_**Allegiances**_

_ThunderClan_

_**Leader, **_**Bramblestar- **dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

_**Deputy, **_**Squirrelflight- **dark ginger she-cat with one white paw and green eyes

**_Medicine Cats, _****Jayfeather- **gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes **(Apprentice: Briarlight)**

**Leafpool- **light brown tabby she-cat with white chest and paws; amber eyes; former warrior

**_Warriors, _Cloudtail- **long-haired white tom with blue eyes

**Brightheart- **white she-cat with ginger patches, one scarred eye, one blue eye, and shredded ears

**Birchfall- **light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Whitewing- **white she-cat with green eyes

**Berrynose- **cream-colored tom with blue eyes and a stubby tail **(Apprentice: Amberpaw)**

**Poppyfrost- **tortoiseshell and white she-cat with yellow eyes

**Mousewhisker- **gray-and-white tom with green eyes

**Lionblaze- **golden tabby tom with amber eyes

**Foxleap- **reddish tabby tom with green eyes **(Apprentice: Snowpaw)**

**Toadstep- **black-and-white tom with yellow eyes **(Apprentice: Dewpaw)**

**Rosepetal- **dark cream she-cat with blue eyes

**Bumblestripe- **very pale gray tom with black stripes and handsome blue eyes **(Apprentice: Smokypaw)**

**Molefoot- **brown-and-cream tom with amber eyes **(Apprentice: Larchpaw)**

**Tigerheart- **dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes, formerly of ShadowClan

**Hazeltail- **gray-and-white she-cat with green eyes

**Lilyfern- **dark tabby she-cat with white patches and amber eyes

**Seedspeck- **very pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

**_Apprentices, _Briarlight- **dark brown she-cat with limp back legs and amber eyes; medicine cat apprentice

**Amberpaw- **pale gray she-cat with white paws, muzzle, right ear, and amber eyes

**Snowpaw- **white tom with amber eyes

**Dewpaw- **gray tom with amber eyes

**Smokypaw- **gray tom with blue eyes

**Larchpaw- **ginger-and-white tom with green eyes

**_Queens, _****Icecloud- **white queen with blue eyes (Mother to Tigerheart's kits: Puddlekit, a brown tabby-and-white tom with blue eyes; Oakkit, a dark brown tabby she-kit with amber eyes; and Bloodkit, a white tom with pink-red eyes)

**Cinderheart- **gray tabby queen with blue eyes (Mother to Lionblaze's kits: Honeykit, a creamy golden she-kit with amber eyes; Flintkit, a gray tom with blue eyes; and Stonekit, a gray tabby tom with blue eyes)

**Dovewing- **pale gray queen with blue eyes (Mother to Bumblestripe's kits: Beekit, a pale gray tabby she-kit with blue eyes; and Morningkit, a silver she-kit with blue eyes)

**Ivypool- **silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes (Mother to Lakekit, a black-and-white tom with blue eyes; and Fogkit, a silver tabby tom with blue eyes)

**Blossomfall- **tortoiseshell-and-white queen with blue eyes (Expecting Mousewhisker's kits)

**_Elders, _Thornclaw- **golden-brown tabby tom with green eyes

**Spiderleg- **long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

**Millie- **striped silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes

**Brackenfur- **golden-brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Sorreltail- **tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes

_ShadowClan_

**_Leader, _Rowanstar- **ginger tom with green eyes

**_Deputy, _Tawnypelt- **pale tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**_Medicine Cat, _Mistcloud- **spiky-furred pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

**_Warriors, _Smokefoot- **black tom with a ragged pelt and green eyes

**Crowfrost- **black and white tom with green eyes

**Ratscar- **brown tom with a long scar across his back, yellow teeth, and green eyes

**Snowbird- **sleek, pure-white she-cat with green eyes

**Owlclaw- **light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Shrewfoot- **gray she-cat with black paws and amber eyes **(Apprentice: Flamepaw)**

**Scorchfur- **dark gray tom with a torn ear and dark amber eyes **(Apprentice: Wetpaw)**

**Pinenose- **black she-cat with green eyes **(Apprentice: Russetpaw)**

**Ferretclaw- **cream-and-gray tom with green eyes

**Starlingwing- **ginger tom with green eyes

**Sparrowflight- **large tabby tom with amber eyes

**Dewfall- **gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Kinkfur- **tabby she-cat with fur that sticks out at all angles and blue eyes

**Ivytail-** long-furred black, white, and tortoiseshell queen with green eyes

**Redpatch- **huge black and reddish-brown tom with blue eyes

**Olivenose- **tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**_Apprentices, _Flamepaw- **mostly ginger tortoiseshell tom with green eyes

**Wetpaw- **dark gray tom with blue eyes

**Russetpaw- **dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

**_Queens, _Dawnpelt- **cream-furred queen with amber eyes (Mother to Crowfrost's kits: Sleekkit, a cream-and-white she-kit with green eyes; and Spikekit, a black tom with amber eyes)

**_Elders, _Toadfoot- **dark brown tom with green eyes

**Applefur- **mottled brown she-cat with green eyes

_WindClan_

**_Leader, _Ashstar- **thin gray she-cat with blue eyes

**_Deputy, _Crowfeather- **very dark gray, almost black, tom with blue eyes

**_Medicine Cat, _Kestrelflight- **brownish-gray tom with white splotches and green eyes **(Apprentice: Moorpaw)**

**_Warriors, _Whiskernose- **light brown tom with amber eyes **(Apprentice: Ticklepaw)**

**Gorsetail- **very pale gray and white she-cat with blue eyes **(Apprentice: Quickpaw)**

**Harespring- **brown and white tom with green eyes **(Apprentice: Antpaw)**

**Leaftail- **dark tabby tom with amber eyes **(Apprentice: Dewpaw)**

**Emberfoot- **gray tom with two darker gray paws and yellow eyes **(Apprentice: Thistlepaw)**

**Heathertail- **light brown tabby she-cat with smoky, heather-blue eyes **(Apprentice: Willowpaw)**

**Furzepelt- **gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

**Boulderfur- **large, pale gray tom with blue eyes

**Sedgewhisker- **pale, light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

**Breezepelt- **black tom with amber eyes

**_Apprentices, _Moorpaw- **wiry pale brown tom with amber eyes; medicine cat apprentice

**Ticklepaw- **white she-cat with yellow eyes

**Quickpaw- **dark ginger tom with green eyes

**Antpaw- **brown tom with amber eyes

**Dewpaw- **gray-brown she-cat with blue eyes

**Thistlepaw- **dark brown tom with amber eyes

**Willowpaw- **dark gray she-cat with blue eyes

**_Queens, _Sunstrike- **tortoiseshell queen with a large white mark on her forehead and blue eyes (Mother to Harespring's kits: Moonkit, a tortoiseshell-and-white she-kit with blue eyes; and Barkkit, a brown tom with green eyes)

**Swallowtail-** dark gray she-cat with amber eyes (Expecting Leaftail's kits)

**_Elders, _Owlwhisker- **pale light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Weaselfur- **ginger tom with white paws and green eyes

**Whitetail- **white she-cat with blue eyes

_RiverClan_

**_Leader, _Reedstar- **slick black tom with dark gray eyes

**_Deputy, _Graymist- **pale gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

**_Medicine Cat, _Willowshine- **small dark gray tabby she-cat with bright green eyes

**_Warriors, _Mintfur- **light gray tabby tom with amber eyes

**Icewing- **pure-white she-cat with blue eyes **(Apprentice: Streampaw)**

**Mallownose- **light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Robinwing- **tortoiseshell-and-white tom with blue eyes **(Apprentice: Creekpaw)**

**Petalfur-** gray-and-white she-cat with amber eyes **(Apprentice: Waterpaw)**

**Grasspelt- **light brown tom with blue eyes

**Hollowflight- **dark brown tabby tom with a pale-furred belly and amber eyes

**Mossyfoot- **brown-and-white she-cat with green eyes

**Duskfur- **brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**Floodwater- **bluish-gray tom with blue eyes

**_Apprentices, _Streampaw- **brown-and-white she-cat with blue eyes

**Creekpaw- **brown tom with amber eyes

**Waterpaw- **blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

**_Queens, _Troutstream- **pale gray tabby queen with yellow eyes (Mother to Mintfur's kit: Beetlekit- light gray tabby tom-kit with blue eyes)

**Rushtail- **light brown tabby queen with short legs and green eyes (Mother to Mallownose's kits: Jumpkit, a gray tabby tom with blue eyes; Leapkit, a brown tom with green eyes; and Pouncekit, a tabby she-kit with amber eyes)

**_Elders, _Minnowtail- **dark gray she-cat with fluffy fur and amber eyes

**Pebblefoot- **mottled gray tom with green eyes

_**Prologue**_

Mist fizzed at the edge ofBramblestar's vision. The ThunderClan leader blinked open his glowing amber orbs of eyes.

A battle-scared yet handsome ginger tom greeted him with a whisk of his tail. His broad shoulders flicked back and forth as he sauntered forward to the dark tabby.

"Firestar," Bramblestar meowed. Apprehension prickled in his paws at seeing his predecessor's solemn expression. "Is something wrong?"

A green gaze flashed; a blur of ginger joined the mash of gray, brown, and sunny golden-yellow that suddenly appeared as well.

The son of Tigerstar gaped, astonishment sending a thrill up his spine. The past several leaders of ThunderClan were before him: Firestar, Bluestar, Sunstar, and Pinestar.

Deep respect forced Bramblestar to dip his head to the four wise leaders. "Why have you summoned me here tonight?" he meowed carefully, trying to remain tactful around these famous cats; he wanted to know what was going on, but he also knew that if he asked too much, he could lose the chance to find out.

Bluestar blinked. She moved forward, lowering her head slowly. "Firestar's blood continues to run through the veins of a fourth of ThunderClan," she started. Ever since her death many moons ago, her voice restored to the youth and sleek complexity of a young warrior. "In the kits of Lionblaze, Dovewing, and Ivypool, there is a new destiny." She stepped back, watching a smooth-furred yellow tom take her place.

"A cat took over StarClan for the benefit of herself. It only fed her undying jealousy. But now we have returned, and Firestar's kin is stronger than ever," Sunstar murmured, amber gaze glimmering alongside his star-spangled pelt. "These special cats will not bear powers, but a great understanding of the world to lead the Clans through rough times."

As his former deputy shuffled back, Pinestar, the leader of ThunderClan when Bluestar herself was born seasons ago in the old forest, came up to face Bramblestar squarely. "You may have forgotten, Bramblestar, but I am your grandfather. My son was your father, Tigerstar." Bramblestar gulped and gazed up unblinkingly at the ancient leader. "Unfortunately, I abandoned him and his sisters to become a kittypet; a thing I now forever regret." He ran his green eyes over the line of leaders that came after him. "I am lucky to have been accepted into StarClan. But now, the bloodline of Firestar still resides in ThunderClan, and will for many moons. You will be the leader for a long time yet, but despite this you'll need the help of these kits."

"How many?" Bramblestar blurted out impulsively.

Firestar spoke for the first time, and he smiled wanly at his successor. "Seven, Bramblestar. There will be seven cats destined to lead the Clans through a time of trouble."

"Bramblestar." A paw prodded the tom's shoulder gently.

He started awake, and met the eyes of his beautiful deputy and mate, Squirrelflight. "Yes, love?"

She sighed and flicked her tail at him, motioning to go to the deepest depths of the leader's den. Once they were there, Squirrelflight gazed at him, and Bramblestar, as he continued to wake up, noticed depression riddled in the endless void of green.

"I know you've been talking about having kits lately…" Squirrelflight trailed off.

Bramblestar leaned forward, for a moment forgetting his chilling dream. He would love to be a father, this time to kits of his own. "You're expecting? That's wonderful-"

"No, I'm not." Squirrelflight spoke bluntly; she exhaled slowly, then went on hesitantly. "Bramblestar, I am unable to have kits. I spoke to Jayfeather yesterday, and he says it will never happen. I'm so sorry." She leaned into him for comfort, but Bramblestar pulled away, shocked and angry.

"I know why they won't let us have kits," Bramblestar growled.

"What?"

"They won't let us have kits because those kits would be the offspring of Tigerstar's son and Firestar's daughter. It would be a bad omen."

Squirrelflight gasped. "That's not it at all! It's just a natural thing, nothing that StarClan, or anybody, can control. I could have been born with it, or it could be because of that belly wound I got a while back…"

Bramblestar snarled and shook his head vigorously. "Never mind that. I still love you, Squirrelflight, and I still love Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Hollyleaf as if they were our own."

"Me too," she whispered. "Me too." The deputy turned her ginger head toward the exit of the cave, where sunlight sliced into the darkness as if it were a flimsy leaf. "It's nearly greenleaf now. It's the time for kits. I mean, five queens in the nursery must be a record or something." Squirrelflight laughed.

Bramblestar rolled his eyes. "Maybe. But I know that even if we can't have kits of our own, Icecloud's, Cinderheart's, Dovewing's, Ivypool's, and Blossomfall's kits will be sure to make ThunderClan stronger than ever."

She nodded curtly in agreement, sighing softly as she rested her cheek on his square shoulder.

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**I know, short prologue! You will get more soon, I promise...**


	2. Bees Don't Like Morning

**Jkitty (x2): Thanks, and no problem!**

**Okay guys, here goes the first chapter. Mostly just cute kit fluff after the rocky beginning. I tried to get Beekit's personality to show with this chapter, tell me what you think.**

**Also, I'm afraid this will turn into another one of those stories where main character is a kit, then an apprentice, love interest, issues with training, becomes a warrior, becomes mates with said love interest, blah blah blah. That's why my stories always have multiple POVs. But I really don't want this story to turn boring, so please tell me any ideas you have. I most likely will need to use them at some point. Thanks!**

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"Nobody likes playing this game, Beekit," Morningkit sighed, staring at her sister with a frown. "Every time we play, you're always the leader."

"And you're always the deputy," protested Beekit, stamping her small paws on the ground. "I don't see what the problem is."

Morningkit closed her eyes and turned away, shaking her head. "Of course you don't," she whispered. "You don't understand, do you?" She started to pad away, back into the nursery.

Beekit groaned. She hated the nursery! It was stuffy, and way too milky for her liking. She and Morningkit would be weaned in a moon, but if Beekit still had to smell that infamous newborn-kit-scent then, she would throw a fit for sure. "I just said I don't get it!" she called, following her sister.

Morningkit's thin silver tail disappeared into the large den, and Beekit snarled in defeat. She shouldered past the seemingly endless rows of nests and ended up at the ruffled mossy bedding she shared with her sister and their mother, Dovewing. Morningkit was now curled up directly in the middle, eyes still shut as if she were asleep.

"Come on, I know you're awake," Beekit squeaked, nudging her littermate. "I wanna play. Please? For me?"

"For _you_?" Morningkit growled, head shooting straight up so she could glare at Beekit. "Everything's for you, Beekit. If you were a normal kit, you would offer for me to be leader in your silly game when you hear me say that I never get to be that rank. But no, you insist on everything going your way."

Beekit's shoulders sagged. "I… I guess I just never think about others too much. I always thought that others were okay when I made myself leader."

"Well, they're not," her silver-furred sibling replied testily. "At least, they're not fine with it when you do it _every single time_."

"I'm sor-"

"Just get out of here," Morningkit hissed, fed up.

Beekit, unable to think what to say anymore, trudged out of the den, past the empty nests. She emerged back into the clearing, weaving through the patches of chilly shade until she reached a toasty stretch of earth baking in the sunlight. She settled down, heaving a breath. As with most days, hers started with a fight with Morningkit. They had hardly been alive long enough to take two breaths, and already it seemed like they were mortal enemies. Considering there was always an argument around the corner when Beekit saw Morningkit, the gray tabby found herself grateful when she could rest and observe the goings-on in the camp.

According to her mother, a lot had changed since before the infamous but recent flood. When the Clans returned to their home after the lake-check patrol confirmed it was safe, they found they had lost their only elder, as well as a large chunk off the tip of the Highledge. Beekit had never seen the high-up meeting rock at its full former glory, but cats seemed used to its new appearance now. The large rock that had been broken off by the floodwater as easily as snapping a twig was now a place for sunbathing, since it was flat on one side, and sometimes where Squirrelflight organized patrols and such.

The Clan's newest warriors were Lilyfern and Seedspeck. Beekit eyed the two sisters, who were sharing tongues by the fresh-kill pile, enviously. _I bet they never had problems with each other. _

Just then, two huge toms scuttled by her, their paws moving faster than mice fleeing from a predator. Beekit gritted her teeth as a large breeze stirred her pelt once they passed. The two newest apprentices, Smokypaw and Larchpaw. Beekit's father, Bumblestripe, apparently mentored one of the brothers: how he handled the wily apprentice she had no idea.

The nursery was jam-packed. The oldest kits were Icecloud's, Oakkit, Puddlekit, and Bloodkit. At first Beekit was terrified of the pink-eyed tom, but, like the cats with the Highledge, she became accustomed to his startling gaze. Second-oldest were Cinderheart and Lionblaze's kits, Honeykit, Flintkit, and Stonekit. They were nice enough. Then came Beekit and Morningkit; but just a sunset younger than them were Ivypool's two sons, Lakekit and Fogkit. Dovewing and Ivypool, sisters, had discovered they were expecting kits near the same time and spent their days as expectant queens gossiping about what they would name their kits. Ivypool ended up giving birth just one day after Dovewing, and the only difference between families was that no one knew who Lakekit and Fogkit's father was. Finally, at the bottom of the nursery food chain was Blossomfall, who moved in recently at the news of her Mousewhisker's kits-to-be. The funny thing was, Blossomfall was Beekit's father, Bumblestripe's, sister. So right now a lot of her kin was in the process of expanding the family.

The elders' den was quite full, too: Thornclaw, Spiderleg, Millie, Brackenfur, and Sorreltail all resided there currently. Beekit knew all their stories, being a very good listener when something interested her:

Thornclaw never had a mate or kits, but he had been very loyal to ThunderClan for countless moons. He was the slightly younger brother of Brackenfur. In fact, they almost looked like twins. The only difference was Thornclaw's green eyes and Brackenfur's amber eyes.

Spiderleg's mate had been Daisy, a cream-furred long-haired she-cat from the horseplace who died a bit before the flood. They had Rosepetal and Toadstep, two young but talented warriors. Unfortunately, their parents weren't very close at all, and Spiderleg appeared to loathe his family.

Millie lost her mate, Graystripe, in the flood, and was a former kittypet who refused to give up her name to become a warrior. She had been a little younger than her mate, and remained a warrior while Graystripe vegetated in the elders' den. But once he was gone, she felt she should retire, still being useful when dealing with her disabled daughter, Briarlight.

Brackenfur and Sorreltail were mates, the parents of several cats, including Cinderheart and Poppyfrost. They had retired together when Sorreltail became very sick suddenly. She was still recovering currently, so Beekit steered clear of the honeysuckle bush in case they were still remnants of Sorreltail's illness lurking.

Beekit was lost in thought until she registered a tap on her cheek. Spinning around, expecting it to be Morningkit, Beekit smiled like a mouse-brain until she recognized Honeykit, standing a bit taller over her at three moons. "Hey," Beekit mumbled, staring up at Honeykit in awe.

Honeykit smiled, flashing off her shiny white teeth. "Hey, Beekit. I was wondering if you wanted to join my brothers and I for a contest…?"

Beekit was shocked. "Y- you want… me?" she gasped. "Not Oakkit?"

"Nah, we thought we'd give you a chance, since you look lonely over here. So what do you say?"

"I say yes!" Beekit beamed. She scampered after Honeykit, feeling majorly dwarfed by the golden kit, but at the moment she didn't care. She felt every bit as big as them, being able to play with them.

Flintkit groaned from his place crouched next to Stonekit. "Aw, Honeykit! Don't cheat!"

His sister bared her teeth at him playfully. "How am I cheating?"

"You're adding someone to your team-"

"That's not cheating-"

"I wasn't finished," Flintkit cut in. "I was saying, you're adding someone to your team who is-"

Stonekit swept his tail in front of his brother's mouth before he could say any more. The ashen-colored tabby looked rather bored being here, like he'd rather be doing something else. _Who would want to do something else besides a game? _Beekit thought to herself, bewildered. _The two things I do in my life are play or fight with Morningkit. _She paused. _And what was Flintkit gonna say?_

"Anyway," Honeykit said sharply. "Let's get started." She turned to Beekit, her deep amber gaze warming the small gray tabby right up again. "Basically, the point of this game is to pin down your opponent. I try to take down Flintkit, and you Stonekit. We will both go at the same time, and whoever pins down their competitor first wins the round. The cat they beat is out. Then the other group goes again, and whoever wins that goes against the first champion."

She swiveled back around to face Flintkit, a determined smirk wrinkling her pretty features. Beekit ogled Honeykit out of the corner of her eye, trying to copy the stance the older she-kit was in. Beekit ended up in a slightly disfigured crouch, her rump in the air and tail waving. Her chest was nearly touching the ground, the grass blades tickling her chest fur. Beekit took a deep breath, and again focused on Stonekit. He still remained completely nonchalant, sliding down to a position similar to that of his siblings. Then, in a hushed screech, Flintkit announced, "Go!" He and Honeykit collided.

Beekit rocketed forward, landing herself squarely on Stonekit's back just as he slid under her, clearly aiming for her belly. Gently, he pummeled her stomach with sheathed paws, as Beekit whirled around, shaking her head back and forth with a clump of fur in her jaws. She would've grabbed skin, too, but this game obviously had a no-pain rule.

Before Beekit could try to get his ears, she heard a yowl of triumph. She spun, rolling off of Stonekit's backside as he straightened. Flintkit had his paw planted on Honeykit's chest, where there was a bit of extra fluff like a mane, similar to her father. "Ha! I win!" the ambitious gray kit purred. He blinked his cool blue eyes at Stonekit and Beekit. "Now you two."

Beekit gulped, unaware how loud it was. She could only think about beating Stonekit. Beating Stonekit. Beating Stonekit. It had to be possible. It _was _possible…

At Flintkit's "Go!", Beekit surged forward as fierce as a river after heavy rain. She imagined the churning water, and imagined herself within it. Strong, fearless, knocking down anything in her pain. She rammed her head into Stonekit's chest just hard enough for him to go _oof _as he toppled over onto his back, belly exposed. Instinctively, Beekit placed her paw where Flintkit had put his on Honeykit; then she twisted, relieved Stonekit wasn't struggling. If he had been, he might've overpowered her.

"Wow, Beekit!" Flintkit exclaimed, padding forward and swatting Stonekit's head as his brother hopped up, rolling his eyes. "Nice job. Guess it's me against you now."

Beekit hadn't even recalled the rules until now. _Whoever wins the second round goes against the first champion. _She winced and met Flintkit's glowing cobalt orbs. _Uh oh._

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**Hope you liked! Again, ideas. You will learn about Ivypool's sons and Morningkit some more soon enough.**


	3. The Important Question

**Phew. Sorry for the really late update. I'll update this and put up the last chapter of CS today and update Dusk, because of that. (Or at least I'll try.)**

**Lol -SPOILER ALERT FOR BRAMBLESTAR'S STORM-**

**So Bramblestar's Storm (funny how the abbreviation is BS) is not exactly what I expected. I just wanted to put a couple thoughts here, just my opinion, so don't be offended or anything, please:**

**Okay, so a couple descriptions changed, further plunging my version after TLH into fictional land. Amberpaw actually become "amber", not gray! Lilypaw become tortoiseshell, so the dark tabby description of her that I used the whole time writing her was a lie. X"D**

**When I looked at the allegiances I was like, "Oh sh*t, where is Foxleap, Hazeltail? TOADSTEP? Icecloud? Wtf?" And then I found out that they were all killed off, just because there wasn't a suitable mate for them that wouldn't be inbreeding. Ahem. Fox and Hazel. **

**And Smoky wasn't even capitalized in the allegiances in Coriander's description X3 Oh, and as for Cherry and Mole's warrior names. Nice. But Molewhisker is very close to Mousewhisker, so I wasn't surprised when that mistake was made (meaning Mouse was called Cherry's bro). And the three "Fallers"- Birch, Blossom, and Cherry. Lol. Several times, Snowpaw and Dewpaw were called she-cats. Oh, and then the kicker: Seedpaw dies. Holy mother of giving a sh*t about your minor characters. To me, Seedpaw was a major character, and to see her as a cheerful little nuisance that drowns almost killed me. **

**But, honestly, overall, the fact that I had a flood, and BS had a flood too, that almost knocked me dead. Coincidence, hm? I published this story (When the Sun Goes Down) online two years before BS came out, and though I strongly doubt the Erins saw my stupid little blog and decided to use the same idea, I just find it very... fascinating.**

**Fascinating, yes. That's how I will label BS. **

**-END SPOILER-**

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Lakekit felt the energy in his young bones. The power packed in his muscles. With a mighty push-off delivered by his hind paws, he surged forward and landed on the shadowed cat.

"Tell me," he hissed in his struggling opponent's ear. "Are you him…" He planted his front paw on the cat's throat, and it gurgled helplessly. "… or are you not?"

Ever so slightly, Lakekit loosened his grip on the cat's throat so he could speak. But, just like always, that was enough for the dark figure to wriggle free and race into darkness, leaving Lakekit staring after it.

**OoOoO**

The black-and-white kit awoke with a loud hiss of frustration. He rolled over roughly, one wide paw smacking his brother's head.

Fogkit jumped and ended up landing on the hard ground outside of the thick moss. The silver tom growled at his littermate. "Lakekit, this is the umpteenth time I've been roused like this."

_As if I didn't know, _Lakekit thought still frustrated. His mind was still completely wrapped around the dream. _Why can I never keep the cat contained and get it to spit out the answer?_

Fogkit's indignant squeaking made their mother, Ivypool, lift her head and split her jaws in an enormous yawn. "Quit it, you two," she murmured sleepily. "Your mother still needs to snooze a little."

Lakekit shot Fogkit a warning glare to be quiet, but instead of facing his brother, Fogkit was gazing at the nest next to theirs: Dovewing, Beekit, and Morningkit's. Only Morningkit was in there, curled up and breathing steadily.

"Beekit's outside," Lakekit realized. He felt an immediate need to join his kin outside. "Ivypool, please can we please go out?" he asked, trying to throw in as many "pleases" as possible. "Please?"

Ivypool groaned and rolled onto her back, stretching all her limbs, narrowly missing Morningkit in the neighboring nest. "Why? Is everyone else out already?"

"Kinda," Lakekit mewed, hoping this would convince her.

"Okay, you two may go out, but please don't disturb anyone who doesn't want to be disturbed," the silver-and-white queen consented.

Lakekit sped out of the nursery, Fogkit hard on his paws.

**OoOoO**

Outside, the sun was barely over the edge of the hollow. Lakekit took in his surroundings, dark eyes wide and curious.

Oekit took in his surroundings, dark eyes wide and curious.

ff to the left of him, there was a pile stacked high with furry lumps. Lakekit licked his chops. _Fresh-kill! _He wondered if they tasted like milk, or were a completely different taste-bud experience. But, more importantly, Lakekit looked forward to sinking his claws into the flesh of an innocent mouse or squirrel. _I'll be the expert hunter! _

Just then, a thick-furred golden tabby tom strode up to the 'kill pile and chose a shrew. He turned around to find a gray-and-white tom standing there; after exchanging a few mumbles, the two settled down and began to share the food together.

Lakekit flexed his tiny claws and spun to face his brother. "Fogkit, you know everybody. Tell me, who are those cats?"

Fogkit puffed out his chest a little. He prided himself in learning every cat's name. "The golden tabby is Lionblaze, and the gray-and-white tom is Mousewhisker."

Lakekit couldn't resist a sharp intake of breath at hearing the first name. _Lionblaze! _A trill scampered up his spine. Lionblaze was a famous cat, one Lakekit needed to meet. As usual, before thinking, Lakekit stomped up to the two warriors, who seemed bigger and bigger as he approached them.

Lionblaze heard them advancing before Lakekit and Fogkit even got there; the handsome tabby turned around and smiled, flicking a piece of meat off his lip with his prickly tongue. "Hello there, kits," he meowed. He immediately fixed his penetrating amber eyes on Lakekit. "Lakekit, is it?" He looked at Fogkit, hesitating a moment before adding, "And Fogkit. Sorry, you and Morningkit are very similar; luckily you have some stripes to distinguish you two."

Lakekit didn't understand half of what he said, so he just jumped up and down, feeling as if his paws were frogs. "I'm Ivypool's son!" he declared proudly.

Fogkit stepped up beside his sibling, rolling his eyes. "We both are," he informed Lionblaze much less excitedly than Lakekit. _He acts like a boring elder. _

"Hop with me!" Lakekit insisted, nudging his brother. "It's fun."

The silver tabby kit wrinkled his nose and sighed. "We're cats, not rabbits."

Mousewhisker, apparently having finished his share of the shrew, sat up and started to groom his whiskers. Lakekit watched, fascinated. Ivypool always cleaned himself and Fogkit since they could barely reach their own ears at the moment. _But someday we'll have to learn. _

"You both have as much energy as my kits," Lionblaze chuckled, gesturing over to where Honeykit, Flintkit, and Stonekit were scuffling around. Lakekit was surprised when he recognized Beekit's pale gray tabby pelt in the mix.

"They're much bigger than us," Fogkit remarked, almost fearfully.

"So?" Lakekit muttered.

Lionblaze reached forward and patted Fogkit's shoulder knowingly. "You don't have to be scared of them, though." He leaned back and murmured wistfully, "I was once a kit, you know."

Lakekit gaped. "You _were_?" he eyed the tabby up and down. He could barely bring himself to imagine Lionblaze, ten times smaller, tripping over his own paws and stumbling around with his siblings.

Fogkit stretched up a bit on his toes, grinning as he warmed up to the conversation. "Does that mean we'll grow as big as you someday?"

Mousewhisker rose to his paws and gazed down at Lakekit and Fogkit. Before Lionblaze could answer, he responded, "Probably. Depends on how big your father is, usually, if you're a tom."

Lakekit blinked. He didn't know who his father was, only that his mother was Ivypool. Maybe… "Are you my father?" he asked, craning his neck almost all the way back to look at Mousewhisker. While Lionblaze was thick-furred and all muscle, Mousewhisker was tall, and lean. Lakekit was curious which "type" he would be.

"Oh, no," Mousewhisker stifled a laugh. "Ivypool and I… um, no. Heh."

"Major age gap there," Lionblaze uttered with a smirk. Mousewhisker curled his lip playfully and nudged his Clanmate.

Fogkit cocked his head. "Don't you have any kits?"

Mousewhisker shook his head. "Not yet. My mate, Blossomfall, will have some soon."

Lakekit groaned loudly and sat down hard. "Not more kits! The nursery is crowded enough as it is."

Fogkit glared at him. "Don't be rude! Besides, by the time they're born, Icecloud's kits will be, like, apprentices, right?"

Lionblaze nodded. "Almost."

**OoOoO**

The two kits skipped around from cat to cat throughout the day, but the whole time one thought continued to bother Lakekit: _Who _is _my father?_

He tried not to let the thought bother him too much. After all, it was a kind of touchy question and, already in his first moon of life, Lakekit had learned that his mother did not have the best temper.

So, naturally, Lakekit went to Dovewing. She had grown up with Ivypool, so she had to know who her sister's mate was.

Dovewing was starting to curl up in her nest, stepping over the snoozing Beekit, and Morningkit, who was blinking sleepily. Lakekit stepped forward and squeaked, "Dovewing?"

The pale gray queen turned and yawned, gazing down him. Fogkit, who had already been heading to their empty bed, looked at his brother questioningly. "Yes, Lakekit?" Dovewing mewed quietly so as to not wake Blossomfall.

Lakekit sneaked a quick glance outside to the twilight sky, decorated with a mix of bloody-red streaks and inky-black patches. He willed for Ivypool not to return just yet. "I have a question," he replied to Dovewing.

Beekit and Morningkit sat up in a little, suddenly wide-eyed. Dovewing frowned down at him, tiredness making her eyes wander. "Okay, just hurry," the mist-colored female said. "When your mother gets back, she'll want to see you in your nest." She nodded to where Fogkit was stepping into the moss-and-fern bedding.

The black-and-white tom-kit launched right into the subject without dancing around it: "Who is me and Fogkit's father?"

Dovewing looked a bit taken aback. "Um, well," she stuttered, standing in front of her giggling daughters. "We don't really know, sweetie. But I'm sure he's somewhere in ThunderClan." Swiftly she curled up around Beekit and Morningkit, who were finally starting to settle down again. "Good night," Dovewing added curtly with her eyes already closed.

Lakekit was not comforted by this. He heaved a sigh and fell into the nest beside his brother just as Ivypool slipped into the den, closely followed by Icecloud, Cinderheart, and all their kits. Now the tom felt like he could barely breathe, being smooshed in there like that.

One thing was for sure: he was going to discover the answer to that question, even if he had to beg and plead to his mother. Lakekit slowly shut his eyes. _I talked to nearly every single warrior today, and none of them seemed like a fit. How could I ever be sure which one is the one?_

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**So that's that for Lakekit's first chapter. Next chapter we'll have the more "level-minded" kits- Morningkit, and then Fogkit. Again, I apologize for not updating. You have writers' black to thank. But I filled all my time organizing the allegiances for future "books". I also was writing some future scenes, to inspire me to write to get to those epic points, if that makes any sense. So yeah. See ya soon.**


	4. The Thinker

**Enjoy!**

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"Can I join you?"

Smokypaw and Larchpaw hesitated, turning around and blinking down at the small silver she-kit.

Morningkit stood on her tiptoes to make herself taller, as if that worked. The two apprentices stared at her still, completely frozen after previously doing battle training together.

"No," Larchpaw then decided, lifting his nose and turning away again.

"No," Smokypaw added, and though at first Morningkit thought he was agreeing with his brother, it turned out the gray tom was on her side. "Her father is my mentor, Larchpaw," he mumbled to his brother. "I know she'll snitch to Bumblestripe if we don't let her practice with us, and who knows what Bumblestripe'll do to me then."

Larchpaw's mouth hung open. "But Bumblestripe's nice!" he protested quietly.

Smokypaw shrugged in defeat. "Cats will do anything to avenge their children," he spoke like he was as wise the oldest cat in the Clan, Brackenfur.

Morningkit bristled a little- _did they really think I couldn't hear that? My ears aren't closed anymore_- but once the brothers reapplied their attention on her, she treated it like it was a thyme paste, and calmed down. "So?" she squeaked as innocently as she could muster.

"Yes, you can join us," Larchpaw grumbled. "But if you're a brat-"

"Just shut up," Smokypaw hissed to his littermate before stammering, "S- so let's start again."

Morningkit gathered herself and shuffled forward, taking a seat next to the entrance of the apprentices' den, observing as the two young toms mediocrely instructed her on how to do a back kick.

Larchpaw crouched in front of Smokypaw, and then in one explosive move, lashed out with his hind legs, hooking his sibling around the neck and then smacking him in the chin. Clumsily, Smokypaw's legs folded underneath him, and he fell somewhat dramatically, though Morningkit suspected it was more real than for show.

The ginger-and-white tom spun around, yowling his success loud enough for several cats to look over. Smokypaw groaned and muttered, "And to think I used to be the outgoing one."

Suddenly intrigued by this, watching battle moves was pushed out of Morningkit's mind as she stepped forward in front of Smokypaw. "You did?"

Smokypaw craned his neck to stare down at her. "Yep," he sighed. "I used to be ahead of him, until he proved to have a bit more muscle and a bit more personality. But I'm the one with the brains, with the common sense always ready to be used. For example, if Larchpaw saw a fox, he would leap right at it even if he only knew a couple moves to use against foxes. If I saw a fox, however, I would alert the nearest adult cat before launching right into fighting."

Morningkit tiled her head. "You make your brother sound quite daft," she pointed out.

Smokypaw's shoulders fluttered up then down again. "Don't tell him I said this, but it's probably because of his namesake."

"Larch?" Morningkit mewed. "Isn't a larch a bird or something?"

"No, I mean," Smokypaw corrected her. "I mean he was named after a cat. Our father, Foxleap's, dead sibling, Larchkit. They died ages ago when the Clans were leaving for the first Great Journey. She was only a kit, so honestly, how smart can kits be-" He stopped himself when he realized who he was speaking to. "But you seem very clever, much more than other kits," he excused himself.

Morningkit nodded slowly, eyes narrowed. "Right," she mewed sharply. "And are _you _named after anyone, O Smart One?"

"Actually, yes," Smokypaw was glad to leave that subject. "Smoky, my mother Hazeltail's father. He was a loner at the horseplace."

"The horseplace?"

Smokypaw laughed. "You have a lot to learn, little kit." He twisted around when he heard Larchpaw, who was standing with Bumblestripe and Molefoot, calling to him. "Uh, gotta go. See you later."

Morningkit nodded goodbye and started to wander back in the general direction of the nursery, but ended up veering toward the sunning stones in the center of the clearing instead, thinking to herself. _Maybe that's the situation with me and Beekit, _she pondered, recalling the fight she had with her sister a few days ago. _She'll always be the exuberant and vivacious one, while I'll be the one who knows more than she should at her age. _She frowned then. _Except the horseplace. I need to learn about that. _

She meandered around camp until she found herself standing at the base of an enormous rock. "Woah!" she said aloud. "This is as big as a badger!"

"Not quite," a gentle voice chuckled, and around the bend appeared a small gray-and-white she-cat, flanked by a reddish tabby tom. The pair advanced on Morningkit until she was completely swallowed by shadow: the rock's and theirs.

"Hello, I'm Hazeltail," the she-cat purred, bending down to bump noses with Morningkit. Beady eyes round, Morningkit introduced herself to Hazeltail and the tom.

"Foxleap," the tom said in reply to her. "But did you know where this boulder came from?"

Morningkit shook her head.

The large tom dipped his head in direction of the Highledge. "See how there's a big chunk missing from the front of the Highledge?"

The silver female followed the warriors' gazes to the high-up ledge that jutted out from one of the surrounding stone walls in the hollow. Sure enough, a sizeable piece was gone from the Highledge. Then Morningkit put two and two together.

Hazeltail saw the understanding in her eyes. "Yes, this came off from the Highledge in the flood," she explained.

Morningkit was astounded. "And no one was crushed by it?" Immediately, she regretted her question. _Stupid. Obviously they were out when it happened. _

Foxleap parted his jaws to reply, but then Beekit padded up, her blue gaze round with worry. _For once she stops and takes time to fret over something, _Morningkit thought with an irritated twitch of her tail. Her sister didn't have to say anything to get the silver kit to follow her after a speedy bid of farewell to Hazeltail and Foxleap.

"What is it?" Morningkit hissed as she skirted around a few large pebbles as big as herself, hot on Beekit's trail. "For once, I was having valid, mature conversations with warriors. Why do you always have to interrupt the important things, but not bother me when I'm-"

"Just shut up, _please_," Beekit begged. Morningkit zipped her lips, shocked at the sharpness in her littermate's tone. _Something must be up. And, of all the arguing we've done in our short lives so far, this is definitely most urgent. _

Morningkit followed less hesitantly than before as Beekit led her to a secluded corner of the camp sheltered by thick-growing ferns and long fronds of bracken that tickled Morningkit's nose as she slipped in after the gray tabby. They ended up in a very small, freshly-dug hole with earth scattered about. Morningkit arched a brow, nose quivering as she sat down, copying her sister. "Well?"

"This is our Spot," Beekit determined, curling her claws into the crumbly ground.

Morningkit glanced around the stuffy area. The only appealing thing was the privacy. It would make a great place to sleep, if it weren't so small. As small as she was, Morningkit could barely stretch herself out all the way. "But we've never been here before," she mewed, confused.

Beekit nodded. "Until now," the tabby squeaked. "Look, I brought you here because-"

"We have a _lot _of issues to sort out," Morningkit interrupted, not bothering to apologize. They both had enough "sorry"s to say to fill the lake.

Sheepishly Beekit ducked her head. "I suppose," she admitted slowly. "I actually wanted to say that I wanted to know if you wanted to play-"

"Oh, _no_," Morningkit hissed, rising to her paws even though doing that made her threateningly nose-to-nose with her sibling. "I'm not playing that awful game where you get to be leader and I'm deputy."

Beekit curled her lip. "Stop acting like those vicious ShadowClan warriors Mama tells us about!" she growled. "I'm not talking about that game!"

Morningkit lowered her hackles and sat back down, staring at the side of the medicine den, which they were smooshed beside in their "Spot". "Well?" she mumbled. "What game?"

Beekit's eyes twinkled. "Yes! So you'll play the Sorry game!" Morningkit didn't say anything, just gazed, unimpressed, at her sister. "To play the Sorry game, you just say sorry a bunch of times, and whoever can say sorry the longest before running out of breath wins. But we forgive each other too."

Morningkit rolled her eyes. "You and your games," she sighed, but obliged. "Okay, let's just get this over with." As one, she and Beekit inhaled deeply, and then began to exhale unhurriedly, all while meowing very fast "sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry".

They continued on like this, and all the while Morningkit's lungs started to burn. Meanwhile, Beekit was still going on strong. Morningkit felt the fiery urge to win, no matter how utterly stupid this one. "Sorrysorrysorry…" She was croaking now.

"What are you two mouse-brains doing?" Lakekit demanded, suddenly poking his head between the fern and bracken clumps.

Morningkit stopped right away, just as Beekit finally let out her breath. A triumphant glint in the ash-colored tabby's gaze, the pair glanced at the black-and-white tom. Embarrassed, Morningkit flattened her ears and snapped, "Don't ask. What is it?"

"Bramblestar's calling a ceremony!" Lakekit informed them with a little bounce in his paws as he spun around and sped off to be with his mother and brother. The Clan was gathering beneath the Highledge, sure enough, and Dovewing was calling for them as she stood with Bumblestripe near Ivypool and her two.

"Let's go see what's happening!" Beekit purred, and as one the sisters ran to their parents. While their legs were a blur, Morningkit looked over at her sister. They were shoulder-to-shoulder, pawstep-for-pawstep. _I do love her. She's just such a little rascal!_

* * *

**Cute? Morningkit is definitely the thinker of her and Beekit, huh?**


	5. The Daydreamer

**I apologize for the wait. I'm happy to see the increase in follows and favorites, though! Enjoy the first Fogkit POV chapter. Next time, back to Beekit.**

* * *

Ivypool's prickly tongue enveloped Fogkit into a world of disgustingness. The tiny silver tom squirmed out of her grip and hurried after his brother and cousins, feeling mildly upset they hadn't bothered to wait for him too.

But they had already been swallowed by the crowd, blocked from view by Dovewing and Bumblestripe, so Fogkit settled with walking next to his mother, which wasn't the worst thing that could happen.

"So what's this about?" he mewed to her, despising the squeakiness level of his voice. Judging by how high the pitch was now, it seemed like it would never lower to the same sound as Bramblestar's.

"I'm not completely sure," Ivypool admitted. "It might be a warrior ceremony for the three oldest apprentices." A purr rumbled up her throat and she licked her younger son again. Fogkit shuddered. "Before I know it, that'll be you under the Highledge getting your warrior name."

Immediately he felt a little trill in his heart, and launched himself into a silly jump. He didn't say anything, just followed his mother the rest of the way until they were buried under layers of cat fur, in the heart of the Clan. They settled down, but Fogkit was so small, it was near impossible to see over the cat's head in front of him. Ivypool realized this and bent down so he could climb onto her shoulders. From there, he had a crystal-clear view.

As the silver-and-white queen suspected, it was a warrior ceremony. Three young cats: a thin gray she-cat with some white patches, a lanky gray tom, and a thick, broad-shouldered white tom, all with gleaming amber eyes, stood staring up at Bramblestar.

"I, Bramblestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn."

Fogkit tried not to fall off his furry perch as he glimpsed the she-cat step forward, obeying her leader's order.

"Amberpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Amberpaw was visibly trembling, but the confidence in her voice betrayed her nerves. "I do."

Quickly Bramblestar turned to a cream-colored tom with a stubby tail. "Berrynose, do you give your consent?"

_He must be Amberpaw's mentor, _Fogkit thought to himself, recalling when Ivypool told him and Lakekit about Clan hierarchy.

"I do," Berrynose replied simply without anything more. He looked almost sad as he watched Bramblestar name her.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name," Bramblestar went on, again speaking to Amberpaw. "From this moment on, you shall be known as Amberear." Just at that moment, the newly-named warrior flicked her one white ear, and a few cats rolled their eyes in amusement. Bramblestar smiled as he returned to the ground. "StarClan honors your honesty and forethought, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

With that, Bramblestar rested his muzzle on her head, and Amberear licked his shoulder.

The commemoration went on, and Fogkit became very excited with each new name announced.

Snowpaw was next. He said "I do" to Bramblestar's question and his mentor, a reddish tabby tom called Foxleap, remarked on Snowpaw's successful final assessment.

"Then from now on, you shall be known as Snowtail, in honor of your outstanding father Cloudtail, nephew of Firestar and highest warrior of the Clan." Fogkit's heart thrummed while a white tom with a gray-flecked muzzle and silky long white fur purred loudly in acknowledgement to Bramblestar's statement. "StarClan honors your bravery and courage, Snowtail, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Snowtail licked his shoulder.

The white warrior stepped back, and his brother Dewpaw began his third of the ceremony. The gray tom, had he been a turtle, looked ready to shrink back into his shell. But he stayed collected, and puffed out his chest when his mentor, Toadstep, praised him on passing his test. "From this moment forward, you will be known as Dewclaw. StarClan honors your independence and kindness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Bramblestar lashed his tail, ending the meeting after Dewclaw rasped his tongue over the dark tabby's shoulder. The leader made it back up to the Highledge and disappeared into his den.

Fogkit hadn't realized he was staring at the new warriors until Snowtail strolled right up to him and dipped his head. _He can't speak until his vigil is over._

The silver tom was taken by surprise, wondering why Snowtail would walk up to him, of all cats, and leaped a few mouse-tails into the air. His mother laughed gently and said, "He probably wishes he'll be named a 'paw tomorrow."

"Well, I couldn't expect it to be _tomorrow_," Fogkit pointed out. "Maybe Lakekit could, but not me. I still have a few moons of sharing a nest with my mother ahead of me."

Snowtail smirked good-naturedly, then moved on to another couple of cats. Fogkit gazed after him.

"Is something up?" Ivypool asked, sweeping her feather-like tail over her son's sloped shoulders.

"What?" Fogkit unsheathed his claws, frustrated that he had zoned out again. When he spaced out, he didn't even think; just stared at something, which would obviously appear as creepy if he accidentally gawked at a she-cat.

Ivypool repeated her inquiry.

"Oh, um, well, I- I was just thinking how Snowtail is, er, nice," Fogkit stammered, drawing up a lame excuse to make it seem like he had reason behind his thoughtless daydreaming.

"You never know; he could be your mentor someday," his mother meowed with a wistful tinge in her tone.

Later, Fogkit confronted his brother.

Lakekit was suddenly best friends with Flintkit, who was roughly two moons older. Even Puddlekit, at four moons, seemed to prefer their company over his littermates'. Fogkit discovered his black-and-white sibling practicing a very lopsided hunting crouch with the two aforementioned cats.

"Oh, hey, Fogkit," Lakekit said without turning around. He began to shuffle forward, chest grazing the earth and rump in the air. His tail was raised, which of course was a mistake most newborn kits noticed.

"I didn't even speak- how did you know I was-" Fogkit was flabbergasted.

Lakekit snorted. "Puddlekit showed me an' Flintkit how to scent things from behind. It's actually pretty easy…" He went on explaining some junk too advanced for Fogkit to care about. _He knows all this, yet he still doesn't keep his tail down for the hunting crouch. _

"Never mind that," Fogkit interrupted. "Can we just talk for a moment?"

His brother sat up, swiping his paw over one set of whiskers in a hasty groom. Fogkit gaped at him incredulously. _He knows how to groom himself- kind of- already? That's still our mother's job! _But this time he didn't speak that out loud.

"Okay, shoot," Lakekit muttered, glancing at him.

Fogkit resisted yowling in annoyance. "I mean in _private_."

"Chill," Lakekit grumbled, rising to his paws completely and jerking his head farewell to Flintkit and Puddlekit.

"So I just wanted to talk about earlier, when-"

"Do you ever wonder what your warrior name will be?" Lakekit pondered suddenly.

Fogkit growled, "When you-"

"Or your mentor, for when you're an apprentice?"

Giving up, Fogkit sighed exaggeratedly and practically ground his claws into the moss at his paws. They were behind the nursery, which wasn't the most hidden spot in the camp, but Fogkit wasn't about to chat with his brother in the dirtplace. "Um, I guess my mentor might be Snowtail, and my warrior name… I dunno… Fog…"

Lakekit simpered. "Fogcomplainer."

Fogkit was bothered, but went along with him. "Yeah, good one. Fogwhiner. FogI'mjusttalkingaboutmyfeelingswhywon'tyoulistentome."

His brother cocked his head. "Huh? That was a mouthful."

"Clearly," Fogkit snapped. He just exhaled and said, "I was just a little upset about earlier, when you scampered off with Beekit and Morningkit like three mice from a badger."

Lakekit shrugged. "What's the big deal about that?" _Of course he doesn't understand._

"You didn't even wait for me while Ivypool was washing me." A sudden spark of anger coursed through Fogkit's burning veins. "Perhaps because you can already groom yourself. Did Puddlekit show ya how to do that, too?" Glaring daggers at the black-and-white tom, Fogkit lifted his front right foot off the ground in a rush, and nearly bit his paw while wetting it with his tongue. Then he rubbed it on his whiskers so much that, by the time he was finished, his whiskers looked like they had been run over by a monster a few times over.

"Are you mocking me?" Lakekit hissed.

"I just might be!" Fogkit retorted, standing up. "Sometimes you're just so clueless, you know that?"

Lakekit lowered his head.

Fogkit curled his lip. "You don't even fit in. I'm levelheaded like Ivypool. So maybe you're like our _father_."

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**Just so it isn't back-and-forth sibling arguing all the time for Lake and Fog too, I'm going to bring in the subject of their father now.**


	6. Heartbeats Quicken

**Sorry about the wait. (That seems to be the way I'm starting all of my A/Ns lately XD) Thanks to Yellowfang4ever, Silverflame, and Jkitty for reviewing so far! Enjoy this chapter: things will start to pick up the pace here.**

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A few nights later, Beekit found herself watching Bramblestar organize the patrol of cats to go to the Gathering.

The pale gray tabby felt a little spark in her paws as she looked on. _I'm sure there'll be all kinds of juicy gossip from the other Clans! And I'll get to hear all about it once they return…_

After some negotiating, the cats who ended up standing by the thorn barrier were Cloudtail, Brightheart, Hazeltail, Lionblaze, Tigerheart, Foxleap, Bumblestripe, Lilyfern, Dewclaw, and Snowtail. Smokypaw got to go as well, along with Squirrelflight and Jayfeather of course.

Excited for her father, Beekit flounced up to Bumblestripe, and bothered him until it was time to go, at which point Bumblestripe had to shake the clingy Beekit off his leg. Dovewing chuckled, murmuring goodbye to her mate before curling their daughters into her tail.

"Is the Gathering dangerous?" Beekit mewed curiously as Dovewing ushered them and a few additional stray kits into the nursery.

Even though Beekit despised the den, for once her limbs were weary enough to make her eager to settle in the nest she shared with her mother and sister. They lay down, all snuggled together, going to bed early since they would be up later to hear the news produced from the Gathering.

Dovewing took her time to answer. "A large percentage of the time, it's not dangerous," she finally decided to say. "

"And the smaller percentage?" Morningkit mumbled, already closing her eyes.

"Well, you see, there's a truce the Clans call when they're on the Gathering island. If there is any bad fighting, StarClan will tuck the mood behind the clouds, which will tell the Clans to stop arguing because StarClan does not approve."

Beekit nuzzled her mother's paw, and rested her tail on Morningkit's shoulders. "I miss Bumblestripe already," she uttered.

"You are certainly your father's daughter," Dovewing laughed gently. "Your names even go together: Bumblebee."

Beekit felt her heart swell. _Bumblebee._

"What about me?" Morningkit whispered, half-asleep.

"Your name goes with mine: like mourning dove."

Morningkit's smile burned into Beekit's mind as the two sisters drifted off.

ThunderClan burst into the clearing, the final ones to arrive. Nodding swift greetings to most of the cats, Bramblestar jogged over to the Great Tree and clawed his way up.

"Let the Gathering begin," Ashstar of WindClan rasped. The very elderly gray she-cat had only recently received her nine lives after the former leader, Onestar, drowned in the flood. In spite of her eight extra lives, Ashstar still looked just as thin and bony as ever.

"WindClan has welcomed the incoming greenleaf with open paws. The rabbits are plentiful, and almost all the flood damage is gone now. Sedgewhisker and Whiskernose's kits, Antpaw, Dewpaw, Thistlepaw, and Willowpaw have been apprenticed to Harespring, Leaftail, Emberfoot, and Heathertail, respectively. We are also pleased to announce the return of a skilled warrior, Breezepelt, to our ranks."

Murmurs arose from the crowd at hearing the last name, but every cat cheered the apprentices' names with some Breezepelts mixed it. More than a couple WindClan cats looked slightly disturbed that their leader had announced Breezepelt.

Reedstar from RiverClan stepped forward next, after neither Rowanstar or Bramblestar moved a muscle. The tom meowed, "We are still working on repairing major flood damage, but we are much better off than we were at the time of the last Gathering. In addition, Rushtail has given birth to Mallownose's kits, two toms and a she-kit: Jumpkit, Leapkit, and Pouncekit. That is all." He sat down, sweeping his skinny black tail over his paws.

Rowanstar was still stone-still, so Bramblestar exhaled and rose upward. "Prey is running excellently for ThunderClan. We have three new warriors: Amberear, Dewclaw, and Snowtail. There are also four new kits. Dovewing and Bumblestripe have two daughters, Beekit and Morningkit; Ivypool has two sons, Lakekit and Fogkit." Dewclaw and Snowtail had stood stiffly, lowering their heads in embarrassment as their names were cheered. Meows of congratulations were said by those who knew Bumblestripe. It was clear some cats were wondering why there wasn't a father named for Lakekit and Fogkit.

Gradually Rowanstar took his time unbending his legs. He spoke quietly. "All is well in ShadowClan. We have three new apprentices, Flamepaw, Wetpaw, and Russetpaw, with mentors Shrewfoot, Scorchfur, and Pinenose." Pelt bristling a little, Rowanstar turned to Bramblestar and asked even less audibly, "How is _Tigerheart _doing in ThunderClan?"

Bramblestar frowned. Tigerheart had left his father, mother, and sister in ShadowClan to be with his mate, Icecloud, and their three kits in ThunderClan. Rowanstar and Tawnypelt happened to be his parents. "This isn't the business of the other Clans," Bramblestar muttered. "But Tigerheart is fine. He is here, if you would find him and speak to him before we go."

The ginger ShadowClan leader just flexed his claws and grumbled something unintelligible. "Let's go, ShadowClan," Rowanstar called before he was even all the way down the Great Tree. The other three Clans watched as ShadowClan quickly fled the clearing in a hush.

Ashstar and Reedstar exchanged perplexed glances, then summoned their own Clans after a rushed farewell to Bramblestar. Eventually, ThunderClan was the only Clan that remained.

Slowly Bramblestar climbed down the tall tree and strolled right up to Tigerheart. The broad-shouldered warrior was the near spitting image of Tigerstar, his grandfather and namesake. This cat was the son of Bramblestar's sister. He also looked just like the ThunderClan leader himself.

"Did your father speak with you at all?" Bramblestar mewed briskly to the dark brown tabby as the Clan whisked across the tree-bridge.

Tigerheart ducked his head. "No," he said. "If he had approached me, I would've been dreaming."

Bramblestar felt a pang of remorse for his nephew. "What about your mother?" Surely his sister had to acknowledge her living son at least once since he left ShadowClan.

"A few times, yes," Tigerheart admitted. "But not this time. They left so quickly… maybe something's wrong."

The ThunderClan leader just wanted to brush this off and claim that ShadowClan was being antagonistic as expected, but that would only plunge Tigerheart further into darker spirits. He just heaved a sigh and muttered, "Let's hope not."

Beekit's pricked ears picked up the sound before anyone else. The moment she heard the paws crunching through the thorn barrier, she leaped to her paws and shook awake her mother and sister. "They're back! They're back!" she cheered. Morningkit emitted a groan, and Dovewing took her time to rouse.

"You made it back alive!" Beekit continued to squeal, targeting Bumblestripe and practically bowling him over.

Bumblestripe chuckled but then seriously asked, "Who told you I might die there?"

"Never mind that," Dovewing said, suddenly materializing with a playful smirk as she helped her mate up. More quietly, but still audible enough for Beekit to hear, she went on, "How was it?"

Bumblestripe just frowned and jerked his head in the direction of Bramblestar, who was summoning the remainder of the Clan. "He'll be able to explain better. If he even shares everything that happened."

Beekit felt her heart drop into her stomach and roll around like a heavy stone as she followed her parents' pawsteps to under the Highledge. Somehow Morningkit turned up beside her, still bleary from sleep. "Dream?" she asked the silver kit shortly.

"Hardly," Morningkit mewed. "I slept so soundly, I didn't want to get up."

The gray tabby looked away from her sister. _What kit doesn't have enough energy to immediately wake up? She's not like most others…_

Bramblestar, of course, wasn't going to wait for Beekit and Morningkit to resolve their slight chilliness. "The Gathering went well," the dark tabby declared. "Prey is abundant in all three Clans. WindClan has four new apprentices: Antpaw, Dewpaw, Thistlepaw, and Willowpaw. And they have a new warrior, Breezepelt."

Beekit felt a chill whisper down her spine at the name _Breezepelt. _She shuddered as she thought, _What's the big deal? Just a cat with a new name, right? _But from the stiffening and tensing around her, she realized that this Breezepelt cat was a big deal.

Leafpool, one of the medicine cats, stood and meowed tacitly, "W- what about Nightcloud?"

"Who's Nightcloud?" Morningkit uttered to no one in particular.

"Someone else who's bad, obviously," Beekit said.

Dovewing shushed them. "It's a privilege for you two to be up at this time. Please be don't speak during the leader's important announcements." The firmness in her voice didn't hide the glint of uncertainty in her sky-colored eyes, however.

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**Breezepelt has brought sexy back... and not his mother.**


	7. The Enemy Returns

**Enjoy! By the way, can you guess who is on the cover of this story?**

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Two moons later, things were smoothly, or so it seemed to the blithe Lakekit. The black-and-white tom was now significantly bigger and bulkier than his brother. While he had the thick build of a true ThunderClan cat, Fogkit was lean and long-bodied. It was clear Fogkit would be tall, however, in enough time.

Their mother was on edge. Despite her extreme efforts to stay sane in front of her kits, Lakekit overheard her once talking with Dovewing.

"I just don't know what to do anymore," sobbed the silver-and-white tabby, burying her face into her sister's shoulder fur.

Dovewing just frowned, staring ahead and curling her lip a little. "You made a decision, and it's up to you if it was wise. Now you see the result of it."

Ivypool pulled away, her sapphire-colored eyes glinting a bit with anger. "Don't you punish me too," she hissed quietly. "I know I've made mistakes in the past, but I doubt this is the worst one."

Her sister's shoulders fluttered up then down again. "Whatever you say," she mewed mildly before walking off, brushing against the undergrowth Lakekit was hiding in. He swallowed back a squeak of surprise and bounced back before his mother's sister would notice he was there. Ivypool sat there for a moment, subdued and hurt, before she stood as well and followed the same trail, bumping more harshly into the undergrowth.

Lakekit wondered why Dovewing was being so harsh on Ivypool. What had his mother done? She seemed flawless to him: how could she ever have made even one mistake? There was only one thing to do… find out.

It was a particularly overcast day. The clouds looming threateningly made Lakekit feel crushed and trapped. His usual carefree mood had vanished in an instant when he heard Dovewing and Ivypool's strained conversation.

He was heading, unstoppable, toward where his brother was speaking nonchalantly with Morningkit, when he remembered his last real exchange with Fogkit.

Lakekit stirred up quite a bit of dust by halting suddenly, but he ignored as fury made his lip curl. Fogkit had claimed himself to be levelheaded like Ivypool- after seeing her most recently, Lakekit could laugh at that- while Lakekit was apparently "like their father", whatever that meant. As far as Lakekit knew, their father could be a very pleasant, just not _present_, cat. It could be either a compliment or insult, but the way Fogkit had said it so scathingly, like he was tasting crowfood, it made Lakekit pretty sure he intended it as an insult.

_Well, the least I can do is make the jerk apologize! It's been long enough anyway. _Lakekit picked up his pace again and was soon enough standing before Morningkit and Fogkit, who trailed off uncertainly as his brother arrived.

"Yes?" the silver tabby kit asked stiffly.

"No," Lakekit said in reply.

Fogkit's brow furrowed. "… What?"

"_No, _that is not what you should be saying right now. You should be saying you're sorry."

Fogkit's frown deepened, and Morningkit began to edge away awkwardly. "I don't even remember what I did now, but whatever. Sorry."

Normally Lakekit would object: that apology was far from sincere. But talking to his brother about what he heard was more important than being mad at him any longer, so he dipped his head and grunted, "I need to talk to you; it's urgent."

"Should I, er, go?"

Both of them seemed to have forgotten Morningkit was there too. With a sideways glance at Lakekit, Fogkit nodded slowly and murmured apology to her. She shrugged and trotted off, tail erect.

Fogkit flattened his ears as he glowered at Lakekit. "No need to be icy. She and I were having a thorough discussion about-"

"- some yawnfest, yeah," Lakekit interrupted. "Look, I overheard our mother and Dovewing talking just now. They said some pretty… intriguing things."

"You know what that word means?" demanded his littermate incredulously, but Fogkit listened to Lakekit retell what he remembered the she-cats saying.

"'I know I've made mistakes in the past, but I doubt this is the worst one'?" Fogkit quoted Ivypool, sounding apprehensive. "What mistakes?"

Lakekit sighed. "Of course they weren't going to list her mistakes right there!"

The silver tabby tom rose to his paws and started to pace a bit. "What did Dovewing say then?"

"She was like 'Whatever you say' and was cold. Then she left."

Fogkit stopped striding and picked at a loose twig on the nursery thoughtfully before meowing, "This probably isn't any of our business. But it is intriguing."

Lakekit stuck out his tongue. "I said that first!" Forcing himself to be more light on his feet despite his misgivings about their mother, he turned and skipped away.

"No, I did!" protested Fogkit after him.

The stressful day was finally easing into night, the ashen sky melting into a deep azure. Squirrelflight sent out the final patrols, and every cat was getting ready to hit the hay when there was a piercing, strangled cry from the heart of the forest.

"Birchfall! Lionblaze! Molefoot!" Squirrelflight was quick to action. "Go find Tigerheart's patrol and see what is the matter. I'm not taking any chances this late at night. Even if they were scared by a falling twig, it's best to check."

Icecloud's sleek white form could be seen through the thick dark air, and Lakekit shuddered a little as the pale queen whimpered in fear for her mate. The tension hung in the air for her family: their kits were due to be made apprentices almost any day now, and it would be terrible if their father was injured or worse during their ceremony.

Some cats, however, weren't as worried about the patrol in trouble.

"Maybe it's better this way," Berrynose muttered scornfully to his mate, Poppyfrost, whose tail was whisking back and forth anxiously. "Squirrelflight should not have put _him _as head of a patrol," he went on, meaning Tigerheart.

Personally, Lakekit had taken a liking to Tigerheart. Even after a few moons of being in ThunderClan, the dark tabby didn't quite fit in still. But it was clear he was trying his hardest to fully transition from ShadowClan to the Clan his mate and kits were born into. Lakekit honestly thought Berrynose was daft to be criticizing Tigerheart. Tigerheart had full-blood roots: his father was born into ShadowClan, and his mother was actually from ThunderClan, the daughter of pure-blooded parents Tigerstar and Goldenflower. Meanwhile, Berrynose was a former horseplace-dweller.

Bramblestar finished where he was sharing tongues with Jayfeather and stood beside Squirrelflight, their gazes on the thorn barrier. "If they don't get back soon, I'm going out with a few more cats," the leader decided.

"Only a few," Squirrelflight determined fiercely. "If whatever is out there is malignant, we're not risking any more lives." She ground the earth below her into a fine powder with her claws. "I should've gone with Birchfall and Lionblaze, and not risked Molefoot."

"You made the right decision, our younger warriors need the practice in situations like these," Bramblestar assured his mate, nudging her cheek.

After that, the Clan waited in a somewhat uneasy silence. Bramblestar looked ready to venture out when in burst Birchfall's patrol, as well as Tigerheart's, everyone thankfully in one piece. There was a faint tang of blood, however.

Icecloud threw herself onto Tigerheart, licking him roughly. "Oh! You're hurt!" she gasped, leaping back and sniffing her mate.

"Ah, it's nothing. The most I lost were some hairs," Tigerheart retorted, stepping forward with his cats, Lilyfern, Amberear, and Toadstep. He dipped his head to Bramblestar and said, "W- we ran into an _enormous _group of foxes." He noticed Briarlight was approaching them, searching out for minor wounds. "You might want to give something to calm down Amberear," he suggested to her. "It was her who shrieked, very surprised by the sheer number of 'em."

Briarlight nodded and dragged herself back to the medicine den, mumbling "thyme, poppy seed…"

"Foxes?" Bramblestar sounded almost relieved. "That's all? You fought them off?"

Tigerheart lowered his head, and before he could speak, Lilyfern met his shoulder and mewed, "Um, no. There were far too many for under ten cats to take on. They've taken over close to half of our territory."

Lakekit felt a lurch in his belly. _Half _their territory? That meant _half _the prey than usual coming in now, right? He had only been weaned a moon ago, and was just starting to like the taste of mouse.

Bramblestar groaned, clearly trying to contain himself at this outrageous news. "What a great start to greenleaf." His glittering amber eyes scanned the cats who had faced the foxes, and asked all of them, "Which side of our territory?"

Molefoot piped up, "From the WindClan border, along that whole stream, to a few, uhm, fox-lengths outside of the training hollow."

The dark brown tabby leader took a deep breath and swerved to address the whole Clan. "If the foxes aren't ready to pick a fight with us yet, then we will sleep tonight. Tomorrow morning, I will discuss with my senior warriors what to do to take as prompt action as possible."

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**Uh-oh! FoxClan is here!**


	8. More New Names

**Well, you might as well just expect me to roll out chapters whenever I feel like it. Clearly, it's too much for me to follow a schedule. :T **

**Enjoy!  
**

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Even a light nap was impossible for Morningkit. The mere idea of numerous foxes lurking out in ThunderClan territory was alarming. What if they just invaded the camp in the middle of the night, filling the hollow with their stench, conquering den after den?

Morningkit finally realized she'd never drift off a little before dawn, and slipped away from her nest with Dovewing and Beekit, easing her way into the clearing, bathed in shadow. The ThunderClan camp was certainly eerie at this time; Poppyfrost was standing guard, and she almost appeared to be trembling in fear. If the foxes bombarded the stone hollow, she would be the first one trampled by their nifty, nimble little paws.

Then again, Morningkit had never seen a fox herself. From what she had been told about the cunning creatures, they were a size between a cat and dog. They had thick orange pelts, white underbellies, and tiny black paws. They had large, bat-like ears and beady eyes, along with a bushy tail and pointed, triangular muzzle. One fox sounded fearsome enough, let alone over thirty.

The silver she-kit floated away into a hazy half-dream when she became aware of two shapes stalking across the clearing. Obviously cats, their ears were flat and their paws inaudible on the ground.

Her immediate reaction was caused by the meager amount of relation she had to Beekit: go and investigate! Luckily, Morningkit realized all the risks she would be taking before she even moved a claw. _No… but they wouldn't get Poppyfrost anyway, if they're sneaking out. Because there's no alternate exit—_

Right away Morningkit was proved wrong. The two cats, warrior-size, hesitated at the edge of the dirtplace. _They want to go in there for something other than the usual. _Their apparently uncertain pause gave Morningkit just enough time to then plaster on a tired-looking mask, lowering her eyelids halfway and repeatedly gaping her jaws in a yawn.

She then strolled right over to them and recognized, to her mild bewilderment, Dewclaw and Snowtail. In her short time knowing these cats, they had seemed respectful and responsible. The sons of Firestar's nephew sneaking out? What for?

They both took one look at her; Dewclaw mumbled, "I knew we'd get caught."

Snowtail shuffled his paws, which were quickly stained non-white in the dark. With his glowing pale coat, he looked like a bashful, younger version of Cloudtail. _How did he expect not to be seen? _

"I won't tell," Morningkit mewed, admittedly a bit pleased how the new warriors were under her paw so they wouldn't get in deep dirt. "if you tell _me _where you were going—"

"We—" Snowtail started.

"—_and _you promise you still won't try to go there anyway."

Both of the brothers appeared somewhat incredulous; how could a kit be ordering them around like this? But if even a kit knew the rules, and spotted older cats disobeying them, she might as well…

"We- we wanted to see if what Tigerheart's patrol said about the foxes was true!" Snowtail, being the less shy one, spilled out.

"_No_," Dewclaw corrected sharply. "We were honestly wondering if we could take on the fox group ourselves. If we could drive them away, and get on the first dawn patrol, we could report back to Bramblestar that the foxes are gone. Depending on his reaction, we'd either tell him we did it the night before, or not say anything about it being us."

It was the most Morningkit had ever heard him say. Her whiskers twitched as she ran over the warrior code, which she had already memorized after begging Dovewing, Bumblestripe, and any cat who would to recite it to her.

"Remember our warrior ceremony?" Snowtail pressed. "We agreed to protect and defend our Clan."

"Even at the cost of our lives," Dewclaw finished, suddenly looking uneasy as he turned to face his littermate. "Maybe we should rethink this… were we really willing to lose our lives tonight? Imagine if one of our parents or one of our sisters were on patrol tomorrow morning and found our bloodied bodies, abandoned at the edge of the foxes' turf. They would be angry as they grieve. Don't you want to be remembered for bravely dying rescuing your Clan, or living a long life after many moons of serving your Clan, instead of just venturing out without telling anyone?"

Morningkit couldn't even have come up with anything like that. She was only a kit, after all.

"S'pose not," grunted Snowtail. His puffed fur, which wasn't nearly as fluffy as his father's, gradually flattened again and he glanced at Morningkit with only a little huff. "Thanks. Guess you saved _us_, huh?"

Dewclaw dipped his head to her and led his brother back to the warriors' den as Morningkit stood speechless, watching them.

_I have power? All I asked was for them to tell me what they were doing, and they promptly complied. _She beamed as she sat next to the nursery entrance, watching the sun begin to blaze over Bramblestar's den. _Maybe there's one thing I have talent at._

**OoOoO**

The past few days, Blossomfall and Mousewhisker's quarter-moon-old kits had been the morning wake-up call with their constant, shrill mewing. They certainly were today, and Morningkit groaned, rolling over on top of Beekit as their cries rang in her ears.

Buzzardkit and Shrewkit were technically Morningkit's kin, as they were the offspring of Bumblestripe's sister. But it was almost embarrassing to be related to them, with all the racket they made. Now everyone in the nursery was murmuring in irritation while Blossomfall snored loudly; clearly, her ears had developed an immunity to the noise already.

"Blossomfall! Your kits!" Icecloud yelled, dark circles protruding through the thin white fur under her eyes. The queen's readiness to graduate from the nursery was palpable. Puddlekit, Oakkit, and Bloodkit were a little past six moons now, and everyone was waiting for their ceremony to take place, and for some more room in the packed milk-den.

The young tortoiseshell's eyes snapped open, and, sapphire eyes blinking disconcertedly, tended to her kits. All this involved was twisting a bit so they could suckle.

The kits were admittedly adorable. Buzzardkit, the tom, was a bit of an oddball among his parents and sister with his pale ginger pelt. Shrewkit was a gray she-kit with pure white paws that seemed to always be kneading something, as newborns do.

Just when everyone was getting to sleep again (and Beekit had thrown Morningkit off her) Bramblestar's yowl sounded from outside, jerking all the exhausted queens up again. For once, the oldest ones were out the exit in an instant, chirping excitedly. Morningkit stumbled out of her nest, nearly tripping on a stray piece of bracken. Beekit floated past her, but not before muttering in her littermate's ear, "I call the spot where Icecloud's nest is."

Morningkit hissed in frustration and bounded after her. She emerged into the early morning light, shocked at the sudden refreshment coursing through her pelt in the welcoming breeze.

Bramblestar was teetering on the edge of the Highledge, already speaking and gazing down intently.

"… I can only pray I haven't hesitated too long with the foxes. I've sent out Toadstep, Whitewing, Mousewhisker, and Foxleap to investigate- mainly to see if… 'FoxClan' has expanded their territory. However, instead of waiting around and letting anxiety wear us thin, it's time to announce three new apprentices who will only make ThunderClan stronger in these troubling times."

Icecloud and Tigerheart's eyes were watery as the white she-cat swiftly licked down their kits and sent them off, one by one. Puddlekit footslogged up first through the aisle made by the parted crowd. Bramblestar patiently waited until Oakkit and Bloodkit were standing next to him in the shadow of the Highledge.

"Puddlekit, Oakkit, and… Bloodkit have reached the age of six moons. It is time for them to be apprenticed. Puddlekit, from this moment on you will be known as Puddlepaw."

Morningkit parted her jaws and yelled, "Puddlepaw!" Others soon followed, until everyone was chorusing the young tom's new name. Puddlepaw still looked as much a meek kit as his siblings until the cheers died down.

"Your mentor will be Birchfall," Bramblestar announced. The light brown tabby, looking very pleased, hopped up from his place between Hazeltail and Seedspeck and touched noses with Puddlepaw. "Birchfall," the leader went on, addressing the warrior- who was Morningkit's kin- "you have been serving the Clan for moons and have had yet to train an apprentice… until now. I know Ashfur passed on all he knew to you," Bramblestar said with a slight scathing tone when he mewed Ashfur's name, while Squirrelflight groaned. "so I hope you do the same for Puddlepaw," he finished.

"Thank you so much," Birchfall purred. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to take on an apprentice!" He beamed at Puddlepaw and whispered something encouraging in the tabby-and-white cat's ear, making him smile.

"Oakkit," Bramblestar boomed to the small but robust she-kit who was a carbon copy of her father. "You are now Oakpaw until you earn your warrior name." There was a brief cheering period, just like with Puddlepaw. "Poppyfrost, you will mentor her. You, too, deserve an apprentice finally. Thornclaw taught you well, as I know you will teach Oakpaw well."

The tortoiseshell, appearing a bit tired from her night watch but excited all the same, tapped her nose against Oakpaw's and led the dark brown tabby over to the side of the clearing to sit with Birchfall and Puddlepaw.

Just before Bramblestar could open his mouth to address Bloodkit, Toadstep's patrol exploded into camp. "Oh! The ceremony!" gasped the black-and-white tom. The others were too out of breath to speak for him, so he went on, "I'm sorry for interrupting. Er…"

"Go on. Tell us quick. Luckily, the cat I plan to choose as mentor for Bloodkit has returned just in time," Bramblestar meowed.

Whitewing and Mousewhisker, the only cats who didn't have apprentices recently, exchanged intrigued glances.

"The foxes have stretched their territory approximately ten mouse-lengths deeper into our land," Toadstep reported with a solemn frown.

Bramblestar shut his eyes for a moment, and then said, "Thanks for letting me know. Something will be done against FoxClan immediately after the ceremony."

"FoxClan? Clever." Foxleap smirked as he nuzzled Hazeltail, his mate, and planted himself beside her. "FoxClan's going down!"

"Bloodkit? Are you ready?" Bramblestar continued, staring down at the white-furred tom.

"Yes," Bloodkit answered with zero timidity in his tone.

"From this moment on, you are Bloodpaw, and your mentor shall be Whitewing. Whitewing, you trained this young feline's mother. I have no doubt you learned to understand Icecloud in the moons you spent with her. Hopefully you will connect just as much with your second apprentice."

Whitewing dipped her head and met her soot-colored nose with Bloodpaw, warm green eyes meeting aloof red. "He'll learn all the tricks of the trade to hunting in the dark with a white pelt," she added with a chuckle. She and Bloodpaw trotted over to the other new mentors and apprentices, and was pleasantly surprised to see her mate training the other brother.

Morningkit was glad for the new apprentices, and playfully shoved Beekit. Even though things were definitely going to be tough with "FoxClan", ThunderClan's advancements always shone through in the bleak times.

* * *

**See you next time~**


	9. FoxClan's Attack

**Enjoy!**

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"One thing we're sure of is that FoxClan is not aware of our existence. I'm positive they would've attacked us by now," Bramblestar meowed, standing by the exit at the head of his patrol. Foxleap, Hazeltail, and Seedspeck were all behind him, looking deadly serious.

Fogkit felt his belly lurch. He was so glad he wasn't an apprentice yet, and wouldn't have to go out there and face foxes, of all creatures. He could only pray to StarClan the foxes would be gone by the time he became an apprentice, in three moons.

"Oh, I wish I could go out there now!" Lakekit whined, padding up and brushing shoulders with Fogkit. The silver tom rolled his eyes. _Of course, just the opposite of what I was thinking. _

Despite his misgivings about ever investigating FoxClan himself, Fogkit was very interested in the whole issue, and kept himself posted by the thorn barrier all day in wait of the patrol's return. He glanced around camp: everyone was bouncing from paw to paw, and not because they had to use the dirtplace.

Smokypaw and Larchpaw both looked upset, but probably for different reasons. Smokypaw seemed genuinely worried for their parents, while Larchpaw was loudly complaining to his poor mentor how he should have gone too.

Lilyfern was pacing near where Fogkit was stationed. Seedspeck was her littermate, and Fogkit knew that the sisters were even closer than Beekit and Morningkit. Then again, Beekit and Morningkit weren't exactly two petals on a flower…

After a few eons, Bramblestar reentered the camp, one ear torn and bleeding. Briarlight gasped and dragged herself up to him with herbs she had gathered already in wait for their return. The brown tabby just grunted, allowing the disabled she-cat to tend to him before a few heartbeats before he broke away, bounding across the clearing with a trail of dressing flying off the tear in his ear.

"Where are the others?" Cloudtail asked, his white fur fluffed up nervously for his Clanmates.

Bramblestar met the senior warrior's glittering blue eyes for a moment, acknowledging his question but not answering it. Then he raised his head and yowled the meeting call. Ivypool urged Fogkit away from his warm patch of sunlight by the thorny entrance, and was crammed in by Lakekit under the Highledge.

"Foxleap, Hazeltail, and Seedspeck are still alive and well," Bramblestar began.

"Yes, but they're not here," Brightheart whimpered with some usually-unseen temper.

"They agreed to begin the first shift of this system we produced," continued the ThunderClan leader. He swept one large paw over his ripped ear, and a couple flecks of blood landed on the stone. "There will be three guards set up at either end of FoxClan's territory, as well as the middle of the border. This will count as a warning to the foxes that we're not messing around. If they make a move on one of the guards, that guard yells loud enough for the cat nearest them to hear. Then that warrior will immediately go back to camp to get help, and that would launch our first full-scale attack."

Berrynose's hackles were raised. "And the third guard?" he demanded.

"The third guard will be alerted by the second guard while he or she is going to camp to get help. The third guard will then go to help the first cat until backup arrives." Bramblestar's amber eyes raked over his cats, then he went on, "There will be three shifts: dawn to sunhigh, sunhigh to dusk, and dusk to dawn. When it is sunhigh, Rosepetal, Bumblestripe, and Icecloud will go. After them will be Berrynose, Toadstep, and Molefoot. We will continue this system for however long we need to. This could take moons, so get used to it. For now there will be no new warriors or apprentices acting as guards, and... Squirrelflight or another individual will let you know if you will be having a shift."

Many gulps sounded around the clearing. Fogkit was shivering. What if this went on so long, he would be a warrior and doing these shifts? It seemed odd that Bramblestar was doing this timid guard system, when they could just attack the foxes and drive them away. Unless they were really that many…

He snapped back to attention when he realized someone had asked a question, and Bramblestar was answering. "I'm not risking any lives if I don't have to yet. If we could just show FoxClan that we mean peace by not immediately attacking, and just keeping watch over them—"

"And your ear? Why is it torn?"

Bramblestar rolled his eyes and licked his chest fur. "I snagged it on a thorn tendril hanging from a tree branch while running back."

**OoOoO**

The patch of sunlight had moved from the fresh-kill pile to the center of the clearing, on the sunning stones. The elders were basking on there, naturally. Sorreltail's loud, raspy breath echoed against the stone walls as Brackenfur licked his mate's shoulder worriedly.

Fogkit stayed in the chilly shade by the 'kill pile, nevertheless. He kept his wavering blue gaze on the sky until he could barely look at it anymore. The sun had gradually risen over the treetops and was now at its highest point in the sky. Sunhigh.

The prickly barrier shook, and Foxleap, Hazeltail, and Seedspeck walked into camp, greeted happily by their closest kin. But then up came Rosepetal, Bumblestripe, and Icecloud, all grim-faced. Rosepetal exchanged a forlorn glance with her brother, Toadstep, who was going out later. Bumblestripe stumbled forward, flanked by Dovewing and his daughters. Icecloud rubbed her muzzle against Tigerheart's and touched noses with each of their kits.

"This is more dangerous than the Gathering, isn't it, Daddy?" whimpered Beekit, her tail dragging on the ground. Fogkit felt terrible for his kin, and left his spot to meet them.

"I'm afraid so, my little bumble bee," Bumblestripe murmured, leaning down and flicking his long-torn ear rapidly, the only exhibition of his buzzing nerves. But then he raised his head, licked Dovewing's cheek, and added, "However, I must serve my Clan. And you know your Daddy's strong," he added with a smirk, nudging Morningkit, who appeared to be in a haze. "I doubt I'll return with a hair less than I did when I left."

Bramblestar emerged from his den and bounded down, racing across the clearing to get to the departing guards in time. "I wish you all good luck," the dark brown tabby meowed, waving his tail vigorously. "I'm sorry you must go through this, but I believe this is the best way to keep ThunderClan safe. I know Firestar wouldn't have gone straight to fighting as a solution."

Rosepetal flattened her ears. "Will this 'FoxClan' really move out when they see we're, like, guarding their territory? Aren't we technically helping them?"

Bramblestar's optics flashed. "N- no, we're watching the foxes to make sure they don't try to expand the border."

Icecloud's eyes were misty as she strode by the broad-shouldered tom. "And you don't have to base your decisions off of Firestar's."

Before he could reply, she had disappeared into the tunnel. Bumblestripe frowned and dipped his head to Bramblestar before following her. Rosepetal left last, after muttering something to Toadstep. The black-and-white tom marched away with a small scowl at the ThunderClan leader.

Squirrelflight had turned up at Bramblestar's side, and her plumy tail was draped over his square shoulders. "You're just trying to keep them safe," she comforted him. "It's always difficult for new leaders."

Dovewing and the others had retreated to the fresh-kill pile, but Fogkit slid through the undergrowth lining that part of the camp, keeping his ears pricked to their conversation.

"But Squirrelflight, it's been moons! It's been over six moons since I took lead of this Clan, and I still don't know if I'm doing the right thing," Bramblestar muttered. He lifted his muzzle to the sky. "At times I wonder if I should visit the Moonpool with Jayfeather for guidance."

"There's no reason to do that," Squirrelflight protested gently. "You seem so focused on leading like my father did. You know you've heard the stories about the confrontation he faced for having an improper deputy ceremony, let alone for being a former kittypet. At least you don't have that to deal with. You and Firestar are the best leaders I've seen."

Bramblestar smirked, but he looked significantly happier as his tail curled over his back. "We're the _only _leaders you've lived to see!"

Fogkit stopped listening to them, already feeling guilty for eavesdropping. Casually he slipped out of the brush and made his way over to where Ivypool and Lakekit were crunching on a thrush.

"Oh, thank StarClan," Ivypool mewed, detaching Lakekit from the prey and pushing it over to Fogkit. "Your brother slurped down most of it like he hasn't had food in seasons, but have another mouse if you'd like; there seems to be a surplus of fresh-kill today. Where were you?"

"Yeah, I saw you there when Bumblestripe and the others left, but then you were gone," Lakekit grunted, licking his chops.

Fogkit kept his mouth full for as long as possible, but their eyes seemed to burn holes in his pelt. He swallowed and sighed. "The dirtplace. Honestly, you might as well have a cat follow me and report back to you every place I've been."

His mother frowned. "I just didn't see you. How would you feel if—"

Just then, there was an abrupt yowl from the heart of the forest. Fogkit felt his blood run cold, and instinctively he hared over to the thorn barrier, juice dribbling down his chin.

Moments later, Rosepetal was running around the clearing, shouting, "Help! Bumblestripe's been attacked!"

* * *

**Oh, great...**


End file.
